Published: May 30, 2008 11:40 pm      

Supervisors request estimate for asbestos removal

CLINTON — The Clinton County Board of Supervisors took the first step toward cleaning up the Buffalo Bill Estates mobile home park during this week’s meeting, which was moved to Wednesday following the Memorial Day holiday. The supervisors heard from Steve Intlekofer, president of Affordable Hazards Removal of Monticello, on the process of removing asbestos from the site.

The site in Folletts known as the “Buffalo Bill Mobile Home Park,” located at 3737 292nd St., was closed last year after the Iowa Department of Natural Resources revoked its waste disposal permit, forcing residents to leave their homes. Neighbors living near the site appeared before the board in August and reported that trailers in the mobile home park were being demolished or scrapped, and the remaining debris was being left behind. The former owner was issued a cease and desist order regarding the dismantling of trailers in the park, and was told to begin cleanup of the debris. County Attorney Mike Wolf reported to the board that the mess was creating a health and safety hazard, and the supervisors authorized him to begin the nuisance abatement process.

In April, Wolf issued a letter addressed to the board explaining that the nuisance continued to exist, and neighbors reported that illegal dumping was occurring at the site. Wolf added that the park had no funding to abate the nuisance, and advised the board that the county would need to assess costs against the property for abatement actions. The board authorized Wolf to send a letter to the owners of Buffalo Bill Estates advising that abatement of the nuisance was necessary by May 15, or the county would take action in the form of hiring a contractor to clean up the site and assess the costs against the property in the same manner as a property tax.

Wolf appeared before the supervisors during Wednesday’s meeting to report that his office had received a letter on May 16, from an attorney representing the current owner of the Buffalo Bill Estates, advising that “the land-owner will cooperate fully and allow us to do what we need to do,” and that the owner would take care of the cleanup if funds were available, but are not at the present time.

Supervisor Jill Davisson stated that the owner “has been saying that for two years,” and the site has yet to be cleaned up.

“I want this done,” Davisson said. “The poor neighbors down there have been living with this, and they’re tired of it.”

Chairman Grant Wilke agreed, adding that the county was eager to move forward with the clean-up process on its own.

“It’s too bad that it got to this point,” Wilke said.

Intlekofer advised the board that federal regulations require structures be inspected for asbestos before being demolished, and are enforced by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to keep asbestos from becoming airborne. He added that he had recently visited the site, which contains 20 to 30 mobile homes in various states of destruction, and “looks a little like the weekend at Parkersburg,” with debris scattered over several acres.

Intlekofer advised that there will be some asbestos on the site, most likely in the bathroom and kitchen linoleum, as well as the roofing materials, but an inspection must be performed with contaminated areas located and clearly identified. He noted that his company collects the minimum number of legally required samples, and charges a standard fee of $250 and $25 per sample. He advised that the county must have a licensed inspector oversee the collection process and complete the asbestos removal, such as his firm, but could hire someone else to perform the rest of the cleanup. He estimated the cost of the project to be around $50,000.

Davisson moved that the board request a proposal from Intlekofer for the preliminary inspection. Intlekofer advised he would submit the proposal within the next few days. He stated that if chosen by the county, his company could begin the cleanup in mid-July and be finished in two weeks.